The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-19
MERCY AND RETRIBUTIoN.

MERCY AND RETRIBUTION.
The editor of the Journal and Messen-
ger, Cincinnati, is concerned for the
soundness and consistency of our the
ology. This is the way he administers
Baptist correction:
What strange thing, to be called
Christianity, is Universalism! Here is
Rev. DR.. Atwood, at the head Of the
principal Universalist theological school
in the land, who ought, if any one, to
know the length and breadth of his sys-
tenn, who can in one breath talk of the
mercy of God, as though he had no
other attribute, and then, in the next,
give utterance to such words as these
following, which we quote from his pen
as they appear in THE UNIvERsALIsT
newspaper:
"There is no way of escaping the retri-
buttons Of God. They are joined with
the sin rs effect with cause. 1t is tre-
mendous fact; but it is benefcent. To
accept it without question, and regulate
ones conduct in full recognition of it, is
not indeed to be a Christian, since the
Christian rule of life is higher, but it is to
be wise and to have laid the foundation
Of being good"
What place for mercy is there in the
| system of God who pursues the sim
ner as Nemesis, unrelenting and fate
| full? According to the view above put
| forth, there is no place for repentance
no escape from the full penalty of
transgression. It is useless to make
terms with the g adversary" now or at
any other time. $" The uttermost farth-
ing" must be paid. and the sinner may
as we'll face it, and putting on look of
defiance, say, Lay on, McDuff." If
unrelenting retributiOn is the rule of
God; if there is no way of escapi lg
it; if retribution is "joined with
sin as effect with cause,n then why is
it not Christian to accept it and walk
by that rule, as fatalist? What a
fearful responsibility must rest upon
the man who teaches such things con-
corning our God, who has said that, in
the day that the sinner turns from his
wickedness and, with repentant, hum
BILE heart, seeks forgiveness, he shall
receive mercy, his sins and his iniqui-
ties being remembered no more for
ever? What is there in the language
of DR.. Atwood to give hope of mercy to
the repentant sinner
We respectfully assure our brother
of the Messenger that the difficulty is
not at all in the facts of the case, but
wholly in the view he takes of them.
In the truthful and innocent paragraph
quoted we teach, ~. That the divine
retributions cannot be escaped. ~.
That they are beneficent. ~. That to
recognize these facts and regulate the
| life in full view of them is wise and is
the foundation of being good. IL our
neighbor could dispossess himself of
his own notion of retribution and adopt
ours for moment, he would see that
all his talk about unrelenting fate is ir-
relevant. He has not fixed his active
but not too discriminating mind on our
second proposition. Retribution is not
cruel; it is really kind. 1t may be pain
full and exacting; but it is beneicent.
What it intends is the welfare Of "them
that are exercised thereby" To es-
cape it would not be blessing but an
injury. 1t is, therefore, a thing to be
grateful for, that Gods retributions
cannot be escaped.
But what place is there for mercy in
such view, asks the bewildered Bap-
fist brother ? If the uttermost farthing
is to be paid what inducement is there
to repentance ? Well, one inducement
is, that the sinner may not be obliged
to keep on paying the uttermost farth-
ing. He may be presumed to prefer
liberty to bonds. The truth is, how
ever, that when a sinner repents and
experiences the mercy of God in for
giveness, he does not escape retribution.
Retribution is the path he treads who
finds mercy. If he could escape retri-
button he would not find mercy. Mercy
and retribution, though different things,
are not antagonistic or incompatible
things.
Our critic seems to suppose that, in
our view, retribution follows the sinner
after he turns from his wickedness pre-
cisely as before. This not only is not
our view, it is contradictory to it. Ger
tain painful consequences may continue,
but these consequences are not, proper
ly speaking, retribution. If any one |
should apply the term retribution to |
them we should not understand him to |
be speaking with scientific exactness
but fguratively. So long as the sinner
will not turn from his wickedness, the
particular moral consequence or train
of consequences which we term retri-
button, follows him. When he turns,
"his sins and his iniquities are for
given" and retribution drops its whip.